VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



New Zealand Flax Phormium tena.r, 



most choice garments. Fishing-nets, which are 

 sometimes of an enormous size, are formed of the 

 leaves split into strips and tied together. 



It may readily be supposed that many attempts 

 have been made to propagate this valuable plant in 

 England. But all the seeds which were brought 

 home by various voyagers were found to have lost 

 their vegetative powers, or at least, if in one solitary 

 instance some sickly plants were raised, this partial 

 success led to no good result. Government, ho\V' 

 ever, was so fully impressed with the importance and 

 superiority of this material in making cordage for 



